Rajya Sabha sees thin attendance during Uttarakhand trust vote

Rajya Sabha today witnessed thin attendance in the morning hours when Uttarakhand Assembly was meeting for the crucial floor test to determine the fate of Harish Rawat government, which was ousted after the Union Cabinet had brought the state under Central rule in March.

Though the House functioned normally, there were very few members in both the treasury as well the opposition benches. A number of leaders in whose names questions were listed were also not present and hence the answers were laid by the concerned ministers in the House in their absence.

Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu (Congress) noted that important issues of public welfare were raised today during Question Hour and “in absence of senior minister”, the junior minister has fielded the questions “well with confidence”.

Minister of State for Health Shripad Yasso Naik was answering questions then in the House.

While in the treasury benches, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla, Minister of State for Health Naik and Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha were present, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress’ Deputy Leader Anand Sharma did not show during the period.

Important leaders from many other Opposition parties were also not present in the House.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was seated. Sharma, however, arrived later in the House when Question Hour was coming to an end.

President’s Rule was lifted for two hours between 11 AM and 1 PM today in Uttarkhand to allow the trust vote to take place in the state Assembly which was under suspended animation ever since the state was brought under central rule on March 27.